An Interview with the Coach

WHO ARE YOU & WHAT DO YOU DO?

My name is Alice Melott and I’m an Executive Coach and Consultant. I have spent nearly thirty years working in change, communications, culture, and employee engagement, with a focus on corporate environments that have undergone some sort of major disruption.

WHAT KIND OF DISRUPTION?

Anything with the potential to create chaos: mergers and acquisitions, global process or technology implementations, significant reorganizations. I studied psychology and change communications at Columbia University and Kellogg School of Management, so change (and fear of it) is my thing and the topic I’m asked to speak on most often. I’ve also studied professional coaching and leadership at iPEC and KW MAPS, and am a member of the International Coach Federation (CPC, ELI-MP certifications pending).

WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS?

Change happens to everyone. My practice extends to change wherever it is—organizational, cultural, and individual. Whether it’s change you or your organization are in or change you want to make happen, I’m your co-pilot, your secret weapon.

WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH BEEN?

I started out in corporate communications when, as a young writer, I was plucked from the typing pool—literally—by the Chairman of the Board of Touche Ross & Co. (which would later become Deloitte). He said, “I’ve just come from an accounting conference where they told us that any Big 8 firm that doesn’t have a ‘personal computer’ on every partner’s desk in six months will be out of business. I’m too old to learn. I want you to do it.” And on that instruction, I selected the first computer platform for Touche Ross’ 740+ international partners, and subsequently became the Chairman’s coach and media liaison for all things technology. Thanks to that lucky break, I’ve spent the better part of the last 20-something years on leadership and “clean” teams conducting transformative corporate events.

WHAT’S YOUR ROLE IN ALL THAT?

My role is typically to provide insight into the impacts (seen and unseen) the event has or might have on people. As a consultant, I help identify and mitigate the potential pain points and inform the strategic transition, transformation, and integration plans that ultimately create or improve employee engagement—the foundation of any healthy corporate culture. Meanwhile, of course, I’m coaching my executive clients to their specific goals, which are usually financial (at least on the surface). So helping leadership see how employee engagement affects their bottom line is a critical piece of what I do. It’s the magic fairy dust of any organization where culture is clearly tied to earnings success.

SUCH AS?

I think it’s safe to say the celebrated cultures at Southwest Airlines, Google, Zappos, and Facebook are intimately tied to their positive business results, right? They get the concept of building a company everybody wants to join and nobody wants to leave. Just ask a Millennial!

And from personal experience, I can tell you that a deflated workforce is the beginning of the end for a company. Happy associates are productive associates, which translates to both efficiencies and sales, no matter what your widget is. All the research proves that out.

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE ON A DAILY BASIS? WHAT ARE YOUR DELIVERABLES?

My corporate work can look like any combination of individual & team coaching, presentation & facilitation, strategic planning, communications, and the organizational change management lifecycle. Plus, I guide leadership to grow specific cultural program areas like corporate social responsibility, well-being/wellness, rewards & recognition, diversity & inclusion, and Best Place to Work efforts.

For individuals, I practice Core Energy Coaching to help people achieve their goals. You can read more about the process and results here.

Everybody’s got a story. What’s yours?

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One thought on “An Interview with the Coach”

Hi Alice, This is amazing! I’m thrilled that you invited me to call on you for such an amazing opportunity. I’m totally in and ready to begin whenever it works for you. I’m blessed by your acquaintance.